US Pro Returns hoping to win Irish Open Tenpin Bowling Crown

The 2019 EBT Irish Open Tenpin Bowling Championships, in association with Storm Bowling, 900 Global and 3G Shoes, gets underway on Sunday, January 13th, and will run for a full week.

The event, which takes place in Leisureplex Stillorgan, Dublin, attracts some of the world’s best bowlers, all vying for the crown and the €4,000 top prize.

This year’s event will see 234 competitors take to the lanes, a record entry for the tournament, and with a total prize fund of €20,000 up for grabs, there is plenty of motivation for all those making the trip.

Defending champion Anthony Simonsen, a pro bowler from Texas, USA, returns to try to join the short list of players who have won the Irish Open more than once. And speaking of two-time champions, Norway’s Tore Torgersen and England’s Paul Moor are a couple of double champs returning this year to attempt to become the first ever three-time champions in the event.

The Irish Open is a mixed-gender event and leading the charge of competitors looking to become the first female winner of the event since the mixed-gender format was introduced is Singapore’s Bernice Lim. Lim is both a professional bowler and a major champion, after winning the 2016 USBA Queens event in the US.

On the domestic side of things, the main focus will undoubtedly be on Ireland’s 2018 World bronze-medallist Christopher Sloan. Sloan was a runner-up in the event back in 2016 and will hope to go one step further after a stellar year in 2018.

There are plenty of other potential Irish champions in the field, however, including 2013 Irish Open champion Barry Foley, who remains the only Irish male to win the event. Another notable domestic challenger to keep an eye on is Alan Bride, current Irish national champion, who made the perfect preparation for the event with a tournament win in the host centre the weekend before the start of the Irish Open.

In total there will be thirteen countries represented at the 2019 Irish Open, with the action kicking off on Sunday January 13th. Qualifying rounds take place throughout the week, with 62 players making it to the final rounds, which start on Saturday evening, January 19th. The event then concludes with match-play rounds on Sunday January 20th deciding who will take the crown at the 31st Irish Open Tenpin Bowling Championships.

For further details, please contact Tournament Manager Sean Kennedy by email at sean@leisureplex.ie. The event is free to spectators who are encouraged to drop in throughout the week and see some of the best bowlers in the world compete.

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